


A Fellow Smuggler

by Saoirse7



Series: The Scavenger and the Smuggler [2]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ben and Han reconciliation, Cloud City (Star Wars), F/M, Let's call this a, Rey calls Ben out, Slow Burn, Smuggler Ben Solo, Snarky Banter, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29583879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saoirse7/pseuds/Saoirse7
Summary: “That doesn’t sound good. We should land and make repairs before we jump.”Ben sighed. “I know. I just hoped—well, never mind. Is there anything nearby?”Rey checked the grid-like map. “A planet called Bespin?”“What?” He leaned over her shoulder to look. “That’ll work. My uncle lives there. I’m sure he’d help us. We’re going to need to pick up a few parts for a good fix,” he said as he took the controls again. “It’ll just be a quick stop,” he muttered to himself. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”Or, after his ship needs repairs, Ben and Rey make a stop and run into some welcome and unwelcome family members.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: The Scavenger and the Smuggler [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078898
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	A Fellow Smuggler

Green. Everything was green.

Ben landed his ship _Shadowstar_ by a large body of water and smiled at her. “Ready for this?”

“I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy,” Rey breathed, still staring in fascination.

“It’ll look better from outside the ship.” He stood and began walking to the boarding ramp, halted midway by a whistle and a bump to his shin. “We’ll be back soon, Ady,” he told AD-83, his little service droid. “Stay here and watch the ship. Rough up anyone who tries anything funny.”

Ben had insisted they stop at Takodana before anywhere else. An old pirate had a cantina there, and according to Ben, she was a thousand years old and knew everything. If anyone could help them find Rey’s parents, it was Maz.

Rey followed him out, neck craning trying to take in the trees, and water, and soon the stone castle adorned with colorful flags, and then she was following him into another dim, smoky room not unlike the one she’d left on Jakku.

At least this one had a wider variety of patronage, and even had live music. They would have never had live music in Niima Outpost.

“Ben Solo!”

The words rang out in the cantina and Ben stiffened beside her, but no one already there seemed to care, the conversations continuing without pause. Shortly after, the source of the greeting became apparent, as a diminutive alien with huge glasses appeared from behind the bar with her arms outstretched.

“It’s been too long. Is Chewbacca with you?”

“No, Maz, he hasn’t traveled with me for years.” He bent over to give her an awkward hug.

“Then tell your father to visit more. And call your mother. She worries, and then bothers me.”

Ben laughed. “I do call my mother. As for my father, well, you’ll have to tell him yourself, if you ever see him.”

Maz narrowed her eyes at him and snorted, muttering something about _Solos_. “What brings you here?” she asked, louder, and peered behind him at Rey.

“I need a favor.”

“I won’t lend you any money.”

“What? No, I don’t need money. Well, I do, don’t we all?” Ben chuckled nervously, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “But that’s not why we’re here.” He gently pulled Rey to stand next to him. “We’re looking for some people who left a girl on Jakku at least ten years—”

“Fifteen.”

He shot her a quick glance but continued, “—fifteen years ago. Think you can help?”

Maz looked between both of them, staring longer at Rey. “I’ll see what I can do.”

—

“How did you pilot this thing by yourself?”

“With difficulty. Hold that lever, would you?”

Rey scrambled across the pilot’s seat to push the requested lever and watched as Ben’s fingers flew across a datapad on the console. AD-83 whistled from where he was plugged in to the ship’s nav systems.

“I know that, but I was trying to—” He was interrupted by two beeps and a low whistle, and Ben whipped around to stare at the droid. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

A mournful whine.

“Did you know that before we left port?” Ben let out a groan of frustration at the droid’s response, and resumed his typing. “I don’t know why I even bother,” he muttered to no one in particular.

They had left Takodana a day ago and had spent most of the time since trying to lose the tail they’d unintentionally picked up there. Ben couldn’t tell if he was from some crime syndicate, a bounty hunter, or just scum, but whoever he was, he was persistent.

Another thing Ben didn’t need.

An alarm blared and Ben shot out a hand, mentally adjusting levers he couldn’t reach while he finished up the code he was typing and sent it through AD-83. He had half a mind to crush the alarm system, too, but that probably wouldn’t be helpful.

Suddenly, the ship shook from cannon fire. Ben swore and grabbed the controls. “I guess he’s tired of following us through the asteroids. Rey, take the guns. Ady, hurry up with those calculations.” The droid whistled and Ben rolled his eyes. “I know! We’ll work around it!”

The ship shook again.

“C’mon, c’mon,” Ben muttered, doing evasive maneuvers. “Just a little more, and we can jump out of here.”

“Ben, the turret is stuck. I can’t move it!”

“I could do with some good news right about now,” he grumbled in an undertone. The ship shook with another blast and another alarm made its obnoxious presence known. “What position is it stuck?”

“Forward.”

“Alright, here we go. Hang on and get ready to shoot!” He pulled the controls to a hard stop, dropping them below and behind their tail.

“I’ve got a lock!” Rey grinned, and a moment later there was a flash of fire and the other ship was spiraling away.

“Great shot! Ady, please tell me you’ve completed the calculations for the hyperspace jump.”

The droid responded in a string of whistles and beeps and Rey winced.

“That doesn’t sound good. We should land and make repairs before we jump.”

Ben sighed. “I know. I just hoped—well, never mind. Is there anything nearby?”

Rey checked the grid-like map. “A planet called Bespin?”

“What?” He leaned over her shoulder to look. “That’ll work. My uncle lives there. I’m sure he’d help us. We’re going to need to pick up a few parts for a good fix,” he said as he took the controls again. “It’ll just be a quick stop,” he muttered to himself. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

They broke atmosphere on Bespin and were soon engulfed in a sea of clouds.

“How can you know where you’re going in this?” Rey stared out the viewport, eyes wide.

“Practice. And I used to come here with my dad a lot.”

Suddenly, two small ships swooped in on either side of them. “State your name and business,” crackled over the comms.

“This is _Shadowstar_ , requesting landing and picking up supplies.” Ben tried to keep his tone light, but it had been some time since he’d seen Uncle Lando. What if Lando didn’t want him here?

The comms were silent for a long, agonizing moment, then, “Of course, _Shadowstar_. Right this way.”

“Well, that was easy.” Rey grinned at him.

“I hope it stays that easy. I’m sure they ran the ship data and know who I am. We’ll find out when we land if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” And hopefully, Lando’s men hadn’t contacted Han.

“You said your uncle lives here!”

“It’s been a while,” he muttered, still steering to follow their escort.

“Are one of those men your uncle?”

Ben looked down at the landing pad coming into view to see Lando standing between two men he didn’t recognize. “Yeah, the one in the middle, with the cape.”

Rey did a double take between him and the men waiting for them. “That’s your uncle?”

He chuckled. “Honorary uncle.”

“Ben!” Lando beamed and opened his arms to him as soon as they made it down the boarding ramp, AD-83 trundling behind them. “It’s good to see you!”

“You too, Lando,” Ben laughed at the man’s exuberance.

“And who might this be?” Lando extended a hand to Rey, who was also smiling hesitantly.

“I’m Rey.” The young woman raised her eyebrows as Lando kissed her knuckles.

“She’s my partner,” Ben added, in case Lando got the wrong idea.

The other man’s eyes cut to his. “Of course. Now,” he straightened and clapped his hands before Ben could sputter a response, “you two follow me, and I’ll show you to your rooms.”

_Rooms?_ Ben mouthed and shared a mutually confused look with Rey before he hurried to catch up, trying to cut him off. “Lando, we aren’t staying, we’re just here to get—”

“Nonsense! Of course you are! You think you can just show up after years and you aren’t going to stay for a little while? Do you hear this guy?”

“Oh, I hear him.” A new voice came from the open doors behind him. “Just rude is what that is.”

“Jannah.” Ben spun with a grin to give Lando’s daughter a hug.

“Still causing trouble around the galaxy, then, Benny?”

“Now with help. Rey, this is Jannah, one of my best friends. Jannah, Rey.”

“It’s nice to meet a friend of Ben’s.” Rey smiled and held out a hand.

Jannah bypassed it altogether and pulled Rey in for an admittedly one-sided hug. “And it’s great to meet someone who can keep up with him! Welcome to Cloud City! I’m sure you’re going to love it.”

—

They were settling into adjacent rooms when a droid came to fetch them for the evening meal.

Jannah was right; Rey absolutely loved Cloud City. The green of Takodana was beautiful, but watching the sun set over the clouds was breathtaking.

As they made their way to the dining room, AD-83 whistled _heads up_ right before a voice came from behind them. “I thought that ship was yours.”

To her right, Ben froze. “Unbelievable,” he muttered. “And if I knew you were here, I wouldn’t be here at all.” While speaking, he slowly pivoted to face the newcomer, a man about the same age as their host with graying hair.

It wasn’t like they’d had much of a choice for where to stop, given that his ship might have flown to pieces if they’d tried to jump to lightspeed. But Rey decided now didn’t seem the best time to interject that fact.

Humor danced behind the other man’s eyes. “Is that any way to talk to your old man?” He glanced at Rey with a crooked grin. “Years and no calls, and now he acts like he doesn’t want to see me. Name’s Han Solo.”

_The_ Han Solo? Rey couldn’t contain a broad smile. “I’m Ben’s partner, Rey. It’s lovely to meet you.”

Ben huffed and crossed his arms. “Why are you here?”

“Lando’s giving me a place to crash between jobs. Just like you, I reckon.”

“You couldn’t go home?” Ben’s tone was acidic.

“I don’t think your mother wants me there.”

Ben mumbled something under his breath and stared at the floor.

Rey ignored Ben’s abrupt attitude shift, undeterred. This was a chance she’d never thought she’d have, and she was going to make the most of it. “Is the _Millennium Falcon_ here too?”

Han shot her a surprised look. “Sure is. After dinner, I can give you a tour.”

“I’d love to! I’ve heard all about the ship that made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs.”

“Fourteen!” Han’s face contorted in disbelief. “Did you tell her to say that?”

Beside her, Ben chuckled as he shook his head.

“I thought—”

Han talked over her flustered explanation. “It was less than twelve parsecs. Only a jealous moof-milker would say it was fourteen.”

“Price of fame,” Ben muttered, the last traces of a smile fading.

“Well, I—”

“I’ll give you this, though, Ben. You do know how to pick the pretty ones.” Han walked past them towards the dining room.

Rey’s face burned. “ _What?_ ” she choked out.

“Classy.” Ben rolled his eyes and stepped between her and Han. “I’m sorry about my father’s manners, or lack thereof,” he told her in an undertone. “We can go if you want.”

“I’m sorry, not all of us were raised in a palace,” Han retorted, facing them again with his eyes narrowed.

_A palace?_ Was that an insult? She was still watching Ben’s face, and though she wasn’t sure of the meaning, the expression must have hit home for Ben. His jaw tightened and his gaze slid over her shoulder before meeting her eyes again. Shakily, he took a deep breath before turning around.

“First of all,” the words were quiet and cold, “the only person in control of who my mother was, was you. Second of all, it wasn’t a palace, which you would have known if you had been there more often.”

“Ben?” Her voice sounded small in the wake of his frigid anger. “What does he mean ‘palace’? Who is your mother?”

Ben’s eyes cut to hers; then he grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Leia Organa.”

“The Senator?”

He sighed. “Yeah.”

She gaped at him, speechless. How could Ben complain about his family when he had parents like these?

At her continued silence, Ben’s face fell. “This was a mistake,” he muttered. “Let’s get the parts and go.” He turned back in the direction of their rooms.

“Oh, Ben, at least stay for dinner.” Han held his arms out in entreaty. “Not for me, for Lando and Jannah. I bet Chewie would like to see you, too.”

Ben said nothing, but his jaw was working as though biting back words.

“Please?” Rey whispered, after another few seconds of silence. “I want to stay.”

His gaze cut to her and he stared at her a long moment, his expression unreadable, until he nodded. “If that’s what you want.”

In spite of the tension from earlier, dinner was a cheerful event. She was able to meet Chewie, Han’s Wookiee co-pilot, who gave Ben a big hug and also said that it had been too long. Ben laughed and told him that Maz missed him, which prompted Chewie’s own hearty laughter.

Now, as they ate, she sat between Han and Ben, listening to Han, Lando, and Chewie swap war stories and increasingly ridiculous smuggler heists. Meanwhile, Ben and Jannah chatted about what they had been doing in the last few years and her up-and-coming fashion line.

After dinner, Han and Chewie gave her the grand tour of the _Millennium Falcon_ , which Ben had begged off, and while she didn’t look like much, Han assured her that the ship had it where it counted.

They were leaving in the morning, Han told her. It was just as well. Rey didn’t know how much more she could take of the dual Solo egos.

Ben and Han had barely even looked at each other through dinner and the conversation about the _Falcon_ tour. She couldn’t help but wonder what had gone so wrong between the smuggler father and son.

She headed back to their rooms and tapped on Ben’s door. There was no answer for a long moment, and then she heard a muffled, “Who is it?”

“It’s Rey.”

The door swished open without another response.

Ben was sprawled out on the bed, one arm over his face. “Tour go well?” he asked without moving.

“Yes. She’s quite the ship.”

He grunted. “Yeah, really something.” Sarcasm oozed out in every word.

Rey huffed and took a seat, glancing over to see AD-83 powered down on a charging dock. She was going to get to the bottom of this. Here Ben had amazing parents, ones she would love to have, and he seemed to hate it!

“What happened between you guys?”

He dropped his arm to the side and craned his neck to look at her. “You sure you’re ready for Solo family drama?” He let his head fall back against the pillow again. “I’m warning you, it might make your precious Han Solo not look so good. But, you know what they say,” he continued, almost in an undertone, “never meet your heroes.”

“I want to know why someone with parents that love him can’t stand to be around them.”

“Is that what he said.” It was murmured so quietly, she barely heard it.

“What he actually said is that he’s made some mistakes and wishes he had been there more for you.”

Ben sat up, disbelief etched across his face. “What?”

“Well,” she dropped her gaze at the emotions swirling in his eyes, “he didn’t seem to want to talk about it either. But he does care about you, Ben. I think you should talk to him.”

He winced and ran a hand over his face. “I know, because you want family to be there for each other, smiling and happy. Well, family isn’t that. Sometimes, family is trying to shout the loudest in an argument. Sometimes, it’s walking out the door, no other thought but to get away. Family will drive you crazy in the worst ways. You don’t know what it’s like.” He shook his head and shifted so his back was against the wall and his arms rested on his knees.

Anger burned hot and fierce through her. “No, I don’t know what it’s like!” she shot back. “I never had the _luxury_ of knowing what it’s like!” She rolled her eyes and stood, arms crossed tight around her middle. “What I wouldn’t give to know what it’s like,” she spat.

His eyes tracked her as she paced to the windows and back. “You say that,” he returned, quietly, not matching her venom. “But we always want what we don’t have.”

“Is that what you want?” She whirled on him. “To _not have_?”

He shrugged. “It would be easier, sometimes, I think,” he murmured. “You want to know what happened? My father was always gone on some job. While he was gone, my mother would throw herself into her political agenda. When they were both home, well,” he made a wry face. “I’m sure they loved each other, but they had a funny way of showing it.”

She felt some of her anger drain as she looked down at him. “Why’d you follow him, then? If you didn’t like that he was always gone?”

“When I was a kid, I envied the freedom to go anywhere you want.” He scoffed and looked away. “It wasn’t until I got older that I realized what the price of freedom really was.”

She heard the words he didn’t say. No roots. Always on the move. Always looking for the next best thing. Stories that had fascinated her as a child looking out at the stars. But that life had consequences. Broken relationships. Disappointment. Never satisfied. _We always want what we don’t have_.

She perched on the edge of the bed and his gaze stayed fixed across the room, not meeting hers. “Maybe he has a funny way of showing he loves you, too.” She started to reach for him before thinking better of it and dropping her hands in her lap. “I wouldn’t know about family, but I do know that if I could talk to my parents, I would do anything. Talk to him.”

He didn’t answer, and after a long moment of waiting for a response, she left the room. What he did with her words was now his choice.

—

Ben didn’t know how long he sat there in silence after she left. Deep down, he knew she was right. But that didn’t make it any easier.

In fact, it probably made it that much worse.

At last, with a sigh, he rolled off the bed and pulled on his boots. He’d try the hangar first.

He found Chewie working on the _Falcon_ ’s electrical wiring in the hangar but no sign of his father.

Chewie nodded and expressed his approval when Ben told him he wanted to talk to Han, then informed him that Han would be back in the hangar shortly. He was getting supplies for their trip.

Ben wandered into the _Falcon_ while he waited for his father to return. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been inside this ship, but it was like time was frozen here. Nothing seemed to have changed. Memories flooded in, one after the other. He learned to fly in this ship, learned tricks to lose a tail and how to keep certain items hidden. He learned how to play dejarik from Chewie and sabacc from his father. When he was small, he’d climbed through the ship’s wiring systems to fix things the others couldn’t reach.

He chuckled at the memory of the last time he’d done that. His mother had found out and was properly appalled, and her shocked expression was something to behold, eyes wide and mouth forming a perfect “ _o_ ”. Then he remembered the argument that had followed, and the smile dropped from his face.

His father had left the next morning and not returned for months.

Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wishing he could push the memories away as easily.

“Hey, kid. Chewie said you were in here. Said you wanted to talk.”

Ben pivoted and found his father’s expression guarded, but a hesitant hope burned in his eyes. Did his father really wish things had been different?

“Rey said the tour went well.”

Han chuckled. “It’s nice to see a proper appreciation for the _Falcon_. The kid’s smart and knows her stuff about mechanics.”

“Yeah,” Ben murmured noncommittally. He didn’t want to talk about Rey with his father. He tried not to dwell on why that was. “It doesn’t look like you changed a thing.”

“Well, we’ve made a few upgrades. New paneling in the cargo hold, fixed the lingering hyperdrive issue, finally… Changed the fresher from sonic to water.”

A small smile worked its way onto Ben’s face in spite of himself. “Really? All the way to water?”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Han returned gruffly.

“Does it still seem like a good idea?” Ben raised his eyebrows, amused. It didn’t seem worth it for the amount of work it would take to maintain it.

“It was in case—well, I thought, maybe—I mean, your mother—” Han cut himself off with a shake of his head and waved a dismissive hand. “It is what it is.”

His mother would have enjoyed the water shower if she had traveled with Han for any length of time.

Ben wondered if his mother even knew about the change.

“Did you tell her you upgraded it?” he asked quietly.

“Never seemed to get around to it,” came his father’s mumbled response. “You know your mother, always working.”

“She’d appreciate the thought, at least.”

“Yeah, well.” And Han walked off to the cockpit.

Ben followed, taking the co-pilot’s seat after only a moment’s hesitation. He stared out the viewport and saw a dozen planets in his mind’s eye. Adventures he and his father might have had. “You know, there was a time I thought I’d be here. With you.”

The words fell almost unconsciously, and Ben silently cursed his own sentiment. He blamed this ship for this unexpected nostalgia of what could have been. Solos taking the galaxy by storm. He opened his mouth to try to take it back—it was too much, too soon—when Han spoke.

“There was a time I thought you would be, too.” Ben glanced up to find his father’s eyes on him as Han placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “But look at you! Captain of your own ship. Making a name for yourself. It’s even more than I could have hoped for.”

Ben’s eyes filled with sudden tears and he looked away quickly, blinking them back. _Even more_. The words were so loud in his mind he almost missed what his father said next:

“I’m proud of you, Ben.”

He gaped. Then, in typical Solo fashion, said the first thing that came into his head. “Sorry? I think I must have got that wrong.”

Han chuckled as he squeezed Ben’s shoulder before sitting down himself. “You heard me. And it’s the truth. I know we’ve had our share of issues, but it is good to see you. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what’s important, and you and your mother are the best things that ever happened to me. I hope you know that.”

Ben nodded, unsure what to say. He knew now, at least. The words were an obvious apology, but they were sincere. “Thanks,” he mumbled at last.

“Well,” Han clapped his palms on his knees and stood. “Chewie might have told you, but we’re leaving in the morning. I’m glad you came by, Ben.”

Ben also stood. “It’s good to see you, too, Dad,” he muttered.

Han grinned at the name, and opened his arms for a hug. Ben shook his head with a tight smile and stepped back.

“Not yet?”

“Not yet,” Ben confirmed, and if there was hurt in his father’s face it was gone before he could blink.

“See you this year for Life Day, then?”

“I’ll be there if you will.”

Han acknowledged the subtle jibe with a shrug and a smile. “Fair enough.”

“Until then, unless I see you sooner.” Ben held out a hand and his father shook it. “And I think Mom would also love to see you,” he tossed out as a parting remark, not waiting to hear Han’s response as he strode away.

He called his farewells to Chewie, who was still doing who-knows-what with the wiring, and headed to his guest room to close a _very_ long day.

—

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!”

Ben groaned as Jannah’s voice, too loud, too peppy, and too close, jolted him out of a pleasant dream he now couldn’t remember. He opened one eye to see his friend standing over him, smirking. “What time is it?”

“Time for your feet to hit the floor. And almost time for breakfast.”

“How did you get in here?”

She rolled her eyes. “Master code, obviously. Or have you forgotten about all the times we’d use the master to sneak into the rooms Dad locked? Also, I live here.”

Ben let out a breathy laugh. “How could I forget?” He sat up before Jannah could pull the covers off him, as she was known to do.

“Now that you’re up, I’m off to rouse your lady friend,” she said with a mischievous grin.

“She’s not—”

“No lies, Benny!” She laughed as she dodged his half-hearted punch and disappeared out the door.

He groaned again as she left. He was never going to live this down.

After breakfast, he and Rey headed into the market district to pick up supplies, then spent the rest of the day fixing up his personal hunk of junk. He was pleasantly surprised at how handy Rey was with the ship’s mechanics, as she and AD-83 chatted about the best way to rewire the weapons system to not need the override code every time. He kept meaning to fix that, really, but it usually got forgotten in the sea of the other repairs _Shadowstar_ needed.

He allowed himself a smile as he watched them, busy with his own repairs but sneaking glances when he thought Rey wasn’t looking. It was good to have a real mechanic on board. His patch jobs only made it so far.

“That ought to do it.” Rey plugged one last wire in and patted the panel after she refitted it.

AD-83 whistled his agreement and Ben grinned as he soldered a final sheet of durasteel over one of the blast holes and peeled the goggles off his face. “Thanks, you two. You ready to head out?”

They said their goodbyes to Lando and Jannah, with promises to call more often. Then they were back in _Shadowstar_ ’s cockpit; a galaxy of possibilities stretched before them. Ben felt relief wash over him at the familiarity. Visiting family was good, but he always longed to be back in the safety of his ship.

“Where do you want to go next?” Ben looked over at Rey, who was sitting back in her seat with her feet propped on the console.

“Somewhere with lots of water.”

“Water it is.” He punched in coordinates for a Mid Rim planet he knew had gorgeous waterfalls. It didn’t hurt that it also had a thriving underworld in their largest city, where he could probably find work.

Then, with a smile, they sped off into the stars.

—

Rey tossed and turned in the small bunk, still unused to sleeping arrangements that included cushions and finding that she missed the gentle swing of her hammock on Jakku.

Finally, with a huff of frustration, she grabbed a blanket and shuffled her way to the cockpit. If she couldn’t sleep, she could at least enjoy watching the stars.

To her surprise, a familiar shape topped with a mop of black hair was slumped in the pilot’s chair, his arms crossed over his midsection, snoring gently.

“Ben?” She gave his shoulder a little shake.

He snorted and stirred, then opened his eyes blearily and looked up at her. “Yeah?” he mumbled, voice thick with sleep. “Did you need something?”

“Have you been sleeping out here?”

He ran a hand over his face and rolled his neck, causing it to make a soft popping noise. “Yeah.”

“I thought you said there were two cabins?” He had, when he had shown her the bunk the first night. She knew he had.

“There are.” His eyes fluttered closed again as he leaned back against the headrest.

“Then why—?”

AD-83 whistled behind them, and Ben pointed a finger vaguely in the droid’s direction without opening his eyes.

“It’s full of stuff?”

“Yep.” Ben popped the _p_. “I haven’t had the time yet to clear it out.”

Rey took a moment to absorb this information. “I’ve been sleeping in your bunk?”

“It—” He squinted up at her briefly and then looked away. “I mean, yes, but it’s fine, really.”

“Then I’ll sleep in the chair, Ben! Why didn’t you tell me?”

He gave a low chuckle. “You aren’t sleeping in the chair. I’ll be fine. Was there something you needed?”

She was a bit miffed by his quick dismissal, but appreciated the gesture. Another beat passed and she realized she hadn’t answered his question. Why had she come out here? She glanced around the cockpit and her gaze fell on the blinking monitor indicating the distance to their destination. “Uh, yeah, I was checking how much longer it would be.”

His eyes also dropped to the monitor. “About seven hours. As long as we don’t run into any setbacks along the way.”

She nodded, then blurted, “And you never told me how it went with your dad.”

His face softened with a small smile, still looking at the monitor. “Good. It went really good.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed part 2! Part 3 will be coming...eventually... (I am not fast, but I promise I'm working on it!)


End file.
